#doge $DOGE
Federal Judge Beryl Howell has allowed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to keep hold of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) headquarters building, worth an estimated $500 million, according to a ruling issued on Tuesday.
This decision follows several days of controversy over the building’s status. Although the formal dispute continues in court, the judge stated that the building transfer has already taken place and thus cannot be undone at this time.
On Saturday, officials associated with DOGE transferred the USIP headquarters, located in Washington, DC, to the General Services Administration (GSA).
Judge Howell wrote that the transfer is “no longer merely ‘proposed’ but done,” which, in her view, made the plaintiffs’ request to block it moot for now.
The building also contains office property and fixtures whose ownership the former USIP staff hoped to protect through the legal process.
USIP building in Washington, DC. Source: Wikipedia
George Foote, a longtime outside general counsel to the institute, has voiced frustration with the situation. In his words, “That’s like letting a burglar break into your house, steal your TV, and have the court say well, there’s no TV to adjudicate, so I can’t do anything about it.”
This building has become a focal point of a dispute between the USIP’s former board and staff and members of DOGE. On March 14, the Trump administration dismissed the institute’s 10 voting board members.
When USIP staff refused to allow DOGE employees to enter the headquarters, the DOGE group returned with a physical key that a former security contractor had given them. That action allowed DOGE to take physical control of the premises. After that, a series of personnel changes occurred within the institute itself.
First, former State Department official Kenneth Jackson was put in place as USIP president. Then, on March 25, DOGE staffer Nate Cavanaugh replaced him. Before that, Cavanaugh had been assigned to the GSA.
